Apparatus for extinguishing burning oil wells



1933- K. FLEISCHMANN 1,921,739

APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING BURNING OIL WELLS Filed Oct. 21, 1930' invenior':

Patented Aug. 8, 1933.

APPARATUS FOR PATENT OFF-ICE nx'rmomsmnc BURN- ING OIL WELLS Karl Fleischmann, Flensburg-Murwik, Germany,

assignor to Firm Aug. many Kliinne,

Dortmund, Ger- Application October 21, 1930, Serial No. 490,298,

and in Germany August 15, 1930 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to means for extinguishing burning mineral oil wells.

According to the present invention'the extinguishing is effected by swinging the stream of 5 oil towards the ground by means of a pipe displacing the flames to the outlet end of the pipe, so that they are then accessible. The flames at the outlet end of the pipe can then be extinguished in manyways, for example, by interrupting the stream of combustible material within the pipe. v

It is of particular importance to give the pipe a suitable diameter so that the flame can strike through to its open end. The diameter depends on the pressure of the oil well, on the amount delivered per second from the well and on the length of the pipe. The flame strikes through the pipe and appears at its end when the pipe is sufliciently wide for air and oxygen to be drawn in with the stream of gas or, if the pipe is not so long that when the first flame strikes through ,the cooling by the walls of the pipe is not so great that the gases are cooled below the ignition point.

-It is not possible to give definite rules but the di- 5 ameter of the pipe is a matter of experience depending on the pressure, the amount delivered, and the length of the pipe.

An apparatus according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 shows the basic arrangement in side elevation, and Figure 2 in plan.

Figure 3 shows another form with a swinging pipe, and

Figure 4 shows a plan of this second form.

A pipe conduit a is mounted on trolleys b and taken as close as possible to the burning jet 0. The diameter of the pipe is made according to the amount of material thrown out. The pipe must take the output of the jet without any no- 40 ticeable obstruction and on the other hand must contain as little air as possible, so that the flame is displaced to the end h of the pipe when the other end is placed over the bore hole. For this purpose the one end of the pipe conduit has a large funnel a which is connected with the-horizontal part a of the pipe on the trolleys by means of joint pieces d. The pipe must have a suitable length which, according to the pressure, may be about 100 ms. When the pipe is ready it is pushed with the funnel and the joint pieces over the burning jet and suddenly lowered. The gases or the stream of" oil then flow through the pipe and the flames come out 01' the other end h. Near the middle of the pipe is a rapidly detachable connection 11.. If the pipe is broken suddenly at this point the flame at the opening is extinguishedand the gas or oil flows out at the point where the pipe was broken. The breaking of the pipe can be effected by suddenly wheeling away the outlet part or by suddenly swinging it round on a trolley b, as is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

As shown in the drawing a valve with branch pipes b may be interposed in advance of the place 75. where the pipe is broken. The valve is opened when the pipe is broken so that the oil can be'led away through the branch and can be stored.

A valve 1) is further provided in the pipe, which may be a lever valve similar to those used as safety valves for steam boilers. This can be actuated very rapidly as soon as the pipe is broken, so as to cause the oil to flow through the branch p p What I claim is:

Means for extinguishing burning oil wells and the like comprising a horizontal pipe of sufficient width to carry all the oil and made in two sections of approximately equal length, a vertically disposed funnel connected with one end of the horizontal pipe and adapted to fit over the burning oil well, trolleys on which the "horizontal pipe sections are mounted and wheeled up to the oil well, 7 and an easily releasable connection between the two sections of the horizontal pipe so that the section which is further from the well can be moved away rapidly, thus suddenly interrupting the oil stream.

KARL FLEIBCHMIANN. 

